Sunday, February 18, 2018

I didn't change them because I didn't like my old covers. I loved my old covers but a friend pointed out that they appeared to target children. My books are for young adults. The first book starts out light but gets dark at the end with some torture/violence. As the characters grow in each series, the dialect matures, the plot becomes more complex and the fights are more than a little bloody. I think my new covers are more relevant for my genre...at least I hope so! Sales have picked up so I guess my friend was right. Thank you!

Sunday, July 23, 2017

The Charity I've selected to receive my donations for the first quarter is Plan International USA! I've kicked it off with a $25 donation and will donate a minimum of 5 cents per book purchased (not downloaded for free). Join me!

Sunday, July 16, 2017

When I decided to write the first book in the Chausiku series, it was because of the lack of African American girls as lead characters in science fiction/supernatural books. Since that time, and as the number of books in my series grew, I realized that my interest evolved. This evolution is reflected in my books by the empowerment I have given my female characters of every race, nationality and color.

As you read each chapter and then move on to the next book, you will notice that the teenage girls and women in every clan have a major role in the emerging plot. There's Chausiku of the Sakombi clan, of course, but there's also Malika, Adamma, Adanya and Njeri. Alitzel, Suyana and Marisol are from the Amaru clan. Sinopa, Koko and Sokanon are from the Blackfoot tribe Natosapi clan. The British Spencer clan has Elizabeth and Alissa. Huan-yue and Ying are formidable women of the Qiao clan. Kate and Isobel lead the Australian Gale clan. They are strong but have weaknesses; kind but sometimes mean; serious and yet gleeful. Some are inherently evil. Others search for the goodness in everyone. All are empowered.

Writing the Chausiku series has increased my interest in empowering girls to read, be educated, hold high positions in corporations and government, and to defend themselves. To this end, I have decided to also use this blog to promote articles, events, seminars and programs empowering girls. I will also donate 5 cents from each Chausiku series book purchased, not downloaded for free, to charities that focus on girls. This will start in August and the accumulated donations will be made quarterly. If you have a particular charity you are interested in feel free to post the link in the comments.

Thank you for supporting my books, charities and the empowerment of girls.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Fans will love this short companion book to the Chausiku series. It unlocks some of the mysteries surrounding the six secret clans with supernatural abilities, explains the origin of each clan and includes ancestral charts that can be used as a guide to each book in the series. As a bonus, it also contains four tempting chapters from Chausiku: Nightmare of the Clans Book One.Click a link below to begin the nightmare!Amazon

Friday, November 20, 2015

November is Native American Heritage Month! Although we should celebrate the rich culture and traditions of the natives in the land Americans now call home all year, November is a specific time to educate yourselves on the important history of American's native people.

Fans of the Chausiku series know that I have prominently introduced the Natosapi Clan in Chausiku: The Blood of the Clans Book Three. They are members of the Blackfoot Tribe who primarily live in Montana, USA and in Canada. The natives of Canada are called First Nations. "Blackfoot" is the English translation of the word siksika which means "black foot" and is more commonly used in Canada. In the U.S. "Blackfeet" is more commonly used but is more of an anglicized pluralization instead of a true translation.

The Blackfoot tribe is also known as the Niitsitapi (original people)...and in the Chausiku series they have very unique supernatural powers (of course!).

What fans of the Chausiku series don't know is that my great-grandmother Josephine was Native American. I'm only 1/8 so clearly can't claim the heritage but I have always been interested in her heritage. Native Americans have made such important contributions to the United States and if you want to learn more...check out the websites below.

Monday, September 28, 2015

As you readers of my series know, the Amaru Clan is from Peru and are Latino. So today my blog is dedicated to Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15). Hispanic and Latino Americans have made important contributions to the United States and this is a time to celebrate their heritage and culture, regardless of your race or nationality. So check out the websites below and celebrar!

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

As an author of color who writes science fiction books with characters of color I use this blog to highlight quality organizations dedicated to publishing and promoting diversity books. My pick today is Lee & Low Books and its imprint Tu Books.

Lee & Low Books' website states that it is the largest multicultural children's book publisher in the country. They are also minority-owned and have been in the publishing world for 25 years. Their mission is to publish diverse stories that all children can enjoy...so we clearly have much in common!

Tu Books is particularly interesting to me for obvious reasons as it is dedicated to "publishing middle grade and young adult novels that will spark your imagination, move your spirit, and keep you turning pages." Eureka! Nightmare of the Clans, Dark Soul of the Clans and The Blood of the Clans are science fiction, young adult, and page turning novels! (Sorry, I couldn't resist the self-promoting plug.) :-D

So if you are interested in YA, science fiction, fantasy and diversity books, click the links below to find some of the best.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

I have been struggling with the decision to change the title of my first two books in the Chausiku series for quite some time. When I wrote my first book, I had a rough draft of the next books in the series but nothing solid so I really had no idea of what the title should be. I don't even know how I came up with The Gathering Storm but hey...it sounded good at the time. Then I wrote book two...The Secret Gambit. People told me they really liked the book and were hooked on the series from the cliff hanger at the end but they scratched their heads and looked at me with creases between their eyes when I mentioned the title. I had to admit that the title had nothing to do with my science fiction books...in fact; I realized that I lost some science fiction fans with it. The old cover didn't help with science fiction readers either. My boyfriend said it reminded him of the United Colors of Benetton ads...not what I was going for at all.

Next up...book three. Personally, I love the cover (by Christina Cartwright-Digitell Design) and the title. I felt that I had finally captured the science fiction going on in my series! After Blood of the Clans, I knew I had to change the titles of my other books (and the cover of book two!).

I've fallen in love with Wattpad and for a very simple reason. People are nice there. When I first decided to write and self-publish the Chausiku series, I naively thought that readers would either like it or dislike it and then move on to their next read. I was wrong. There is a whole culture of "reviewers" out there that are trying to make a name for themselves as critics, I assume. They are mean, their reviews can be scathing and they even insult the people that like your book. They seem to scroll for as many free books they can find just to write reviews. But this is not so on Wattpad.

The readers on Wattpad just want to read books. They are encouraging and will let you know when you've misspelled a word so that you can correct it...not to trash your book. They tell you when they like your chapter and they vote on it. If they don't like a chapter they will give you suggestions to make it better. They are nice and if someone tries to post a nasty comment, it is deleted. They even support the writers that are writing to heal a broken heart. I've seen comments like "Hang in there, it will get better over time..." or "Dry your tears because you'll find someone who deserve you." How wonderful is that?

When I first started practicing law I was a litigator and I had to deal with enough malevolent actions to last me a lifetime. I now work in an area of law where people have a common goal. Things can still get a little nasty but in the end, it's a win-win for everyone. I feel the same way about Wattpad.

As for the reviews, out of 31 reviews for Book 1, I only have 3 bad ones. So I'll take my 90% of great reviews and keep writing my series! OH, and if you want to read a couple of chapters for free, swing by Wattpad...feel free to let me know if I misspelled a word in your comment. :)

Monday, May 18, 2015

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. As you know, the Chausiku Series is about 6 secret clans across the world with supernatural powers and the Qiáo clan is Asian. So I thought that I would check out what my hometown, Chicago, is doing for Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. If you live in Chicago or are visiting this month, join us as we celebrate!

Linda Yu will host ABC7 presents Asian Influences and will focus on stories about Chicago's Pan-Asian community. Beginning at noon today, May 18, through Friday, May 22, several cultural groups will perform at Daley Plaza for the 14th Asian American Festival so be sure to stop by Daley Plaza. Columbia College Chicago's president, Dr. Kwang-Wu Kim was honored at the 2015 celebration at the Thompson Center where he served as the keynote speaker and ABC7 Chicago anchor Judy Hsu was the emcee.

Silk Road Rising celebrates Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month with this Salute Video. http://www.silkroadrising.org/pages/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month. Silk Road Rising creates live theatre and online videos that tell stories through primarily Asian American and Middle Eastern American lenses. Performances are held at 77 W. Washington Street, Chicago.

On May 29, join the International House at the University of Chicago to celebrate with Tsukasa Taiko Performing Arts.

Events for all ages are being held by the following:
Families with Children from China-Chicago
Chicago ChinaTown chamber of Commerce
Asian American Coalition of Chicago
National Association of Asian American Professionals-Chicago Chapter

If you would like to learn more about Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, visit the Smithsonian Education this webpage provided below. Each year, the Smithsonian honors Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month with a calendar of events.

Friday, May 8, 2015

The main character and supporting characters in my series
are diverse. Chausiku is an African
American teenage girl living in Chicago.
She has supernatural powers, is being chased by a crazed killer and has
a streak for torture (read the books to find out why!) but otherwise she’s just
like many other African American girls living in Chicago.

She is motherless but not abused and beaten by her father, a teen
prostitute, a drug addict, a sex addict, or abused and beaten by a
boyfriend. She doesn’t live in poverty, isn’t
struggling to overcome_____ (pick a serious issue here) or struggling with
racial identity.

The same is true for my Chinese and Latino teen characters
and their respective cultures.

So if you are looking for a book taking a serious look at
the issues facing minority teens today I can recommend many excellent books
that you should read.

My books are for those that like the supernatural…science
fiction…and books that are just for fun!

The Natosapi clan in the Chausiku series are members of the Blackfoot Confederacy but while researching for the characters in my books, I gathered interesting information from different Native American and First Nations tribes.